


Maccadam's [CYOA Transformers AU Faeformers]

by Matrix_Matriarch



Series: Maccadam's AU Multiverse [2]
Category: The Transformers (IDW Generation One), Transformers - All Media Types, Transformers Generation One
Genre: Alternate Universe, Choose Your Own Adventure, Faeformers, Interactive, Lost Light, MTMTE, Multi, Reader Insert, gender neutral reader, maccadam - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-29
Updated: 2019-07-05
Packaged: 2020-05-28 16:16:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,821
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19397761
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Matrix_Matriarch/pseuds/Matrix_Matriarch
Summary: After Vector Prime sends you to the realm of the faeformers, you find a world full of strange creatures somehow familiar from old folktales and legends. It's a tough struggle to follow the cryptic instructions of yout patron Prime, but at least you'll have a good story to tell when you get home. If you ever get home, that is.Please read this first so you know what's going on: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19396405I'll  add tags as they become necessary. This is a pick-your-path adventure so some tags may only apply to particular routes.





	1. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Vector Prime sends you to the realm of the faeformers, you encounter the friendly dwarven bartender by the name of Swerve. Will you befriend him, or is it better to set off on your own for the time being?

You pull yourself through with some effort, and stumble out blinking. The bar appears to be smaller, seeming more human sized, though now that you look, the other patrons are still very far from human, and equally far from the robots they were before. Some resemble woodland creatures, others are more humanoid, but most are unlike anything you've ever seen - cycloptic, feathered Goliaths; fluid, serpentine beings; tiny, fluttery little creatures of all kinds. Unnerved, you wonder if a mistake had been made. Had Vector not said his race were 'mechanical'? These things didn't seem to be mechanical at all, even the ones with hard plating were more insectoid than robotic. You begin to take a step back to the shard when you notice two things: one, the giant broken cube is gone, and with it the portal you had come through, and two, you've trodden on something hard and uncomfortable. Looking down, it seems to be a packaged envelope, sealed with wax in an old-fashioned style, with your name written in the top right corner. You take your foot off and open it carefully.

>   
>  Dear Y/N,
> 
> You seem to have safely made it through to the universe I have nicknamed 'faeformers', so named on account of my kind being closer to the beings which you call 'Fae' or 'Faery Folk' on your own planet. You should find you are still on Earth, but much will be different from what you think you know. I have enclosed a large sum of currency for you to use at your discretion. Additionally, I should warn you, the drink you had may have some side effects. In order to aid you in your task of restoring balance, you have been granted a special ability in the form of being able to detect and suppress magic to a limited extent, as well as speaking, understanding, reading and writing any language, including the many Cybertronian variants. The world you are in now is filled with all sorts of unusual phenomena, magic included, therefore, this is the best I can offer within my limits of ability to keep you safe. You will also notice that the gateway between universes is gone. You will not be able to return home until you have found the source of imbalance that is disrupting the multiverse. I apologise for not making this clear to you earlier, but I think as you explore this world, you will come to realise just how dire our situation is and how imperative it was that you should aid us. As a first order of business, I recommend you talk to the bartender. Bartenders usually have a good idea of the secret goings on of any place from talking to many drunk locals, so it's a good place to start.  
>  With gratitude,
> 
> Vector Prime  
> 

Sure enough, the envelope seems to be filled with many gold coins, which you assume must be very valuable. You tuck it away before anyone who may not have the most noble intentions can see, though no-one seems to be paying you any attention. The fact that you may not be able to return home sinks in. If you're honest with yourself, you don't mind it quite as much as you think you probably ought to. While you'll miss many things, including your friends, greatly, the prospect of going on an adventure (which apparently involves magic of all things now?) seems much more appealing than the mundane life you've left behind. It's likely you'll feel more remorse over the fact later once the shock's settled in, but for now, you decide to follow Vector's advice and head over to the bar to speak with the small man serving drinks there. On closer inspection, he appears to be a red-headed dwarf, clad in a white apron over a red cotton shirt, and a black pauldron on each shoulder. He winks at you with one of his striking blue eyes, and offers a warm smile. His teeth are slightly sharper than they ought to be.

"Hello there! I haven't seen you around here before. I'm Swerve, What can I get you?" The dwarf who introduced himself as 'Swerve' leans over the counter, his tone egregious and warm-mannered.

"I'm Y/N. I've actually already had a drink. I'm just... Hanging around. I'm new to this area, I was actually wondering if I could get the low-down on what it's like around here?" You hope that you can get some answers about what this universe is like, and this 'alternate Earth' which Vector claims you've been transported to.

"Well, life's pretty quiet, y'know! I mean, since we've had a truce between the Seelie leader, Optimus, and the Unseelie leader, Megatron, everything's been fairly... Well, it'll sound bad to say, and don't get me wrong, I'm grateful that the war's over and all, but it's a bit boring! Especially in these parts, we're pretty far from anything. There's just the bar, and the moorland, and the forest just over the hill of course, can't forget that, but it's pretty much the middle of nowhere. I mean, the bar's only this popular because it's rumoured to be easier to cross over to other worlds... Apparently. Not that I would know! I don't even own the place, I'm just the bartender." You hadn't been expecting the monologue that he had come out with, and had to take a moment to process his words. He seems to be very chatty, moving his hands enthusiastically as he talked so the light catches the auburn hairs on his arms. He remains overtly friendly, despite the fact that you hadn't bought a drink yet.

"That's um... That's pretty interesting?" You try not to be overwhelmed by his pace of speech. "I'm sure you'd make a good bartender. Thank you for all the information!"

"Yeah... Sorry for rambling, by the way, I do that sometimes. Force of habit, you know how is it. Kinda hoping you'll become a regular customer, eh? We don't get many of those, could do with the trade." He seems content to just keep talking relatively unprompted.

"Of course. um, you've been pretty helpful. Say, is there anywhere I can stay that's safe for a human?" It feels a little rude to interject so quickly, but you really need information right now, so you try to steer him back on track.

"A... A human?" Swerve seems, for the first time since you met him five minutes ago, completely dumbstruck. His ice blue eyes squint at you, as if he might learn the secret of existence if he stares at you hard enough. "What- How- You... Are _you_ a human?" He seems flabbergasted. You suddenly wonder if it was not the smartest decision to disclose that fact to a fae in a bar full of other creatures who were themselves not human, and now that you think about it, may even eat humans.

"Ye- I mean... No? I just... Might have a human friend." Deep down, you know it's not likely he'll buy your bluff, but you try anyway.

"Geez, you totally are a human, I can't believe I didn't notice until now... You haven't even got a glamour spell to change your appearance! You know, you can't just go around like that, some fae around these parts aren't so friendly. How'd you even get to this place? It's supposed to be concealed from human eyes!" He's fretting now, and his bright eyes are darting left and right fuelled with more agitation than a conspiracy theorist. Evidently this is a bigger deal than you anticipated.

"I'm... Sorry? I didn't realise being human was such an issue. Thanks for the warning." You feel apprehensive about the situation now.

"Of course! But you know, it's really not safe if you're travelling alone with no place to stay. How's this for an offer - come and work for me. I've been meaning to set up a bar of my own, this place give me the chills. If you help, I'll give you a place to stay, and I'll make sure no-one finds out you're a human. What do you say?"

Part 2.1 - "Thank you for the offer, I'll help you!"   
Part 2.2 - "I'm sorry, but... I can't accept that offer..." 


	2. 2.1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You help Swerve quit his job, however, you run into complications when trying to salvage the abandoned bar. Looks like it's too much to hope that you could

"You can think about it first if you want, but, I could really use the help, and if you, a human, are here of all places, it seems like you could probably also use the help too." Swerve's voice is noticeably lowered to avoid being overheard.

"Actually, you're right, I do need all the help I can get, so... I'm really grateful for your proposal. When do I start?"

"Tomorrow. We're going to have to start preparing right away! Don't worry, I should be able to arrange something pretty quickly, I actually found this abandoned place I'd been meaning to refurbish and claim as my own bar, but I never had a good excuse to leave my job here until now. We dwarves are pretty good at that sort of thing you know! Well, actually, I was more of a metallurgist than a blacksmith back in the day, but I'll see what I can do..." He's nattering away excitedly now, and you give him a pointed look. He seems a bit embarrassed and trails off. "Er, sorry, rambling habit again, my bad. But if you don't mind me asking, how did a human such as yourself happen to these parts anyway? You never explained it."

"That's OK," You reassure him, laughing, "And, well, it's a long story, even though it all seemed to happen pretty suddenly... The fact is, whether or not you believe me, I'm not from this universe. I was just sent here by someone calling themselves 'Vector Prime', who claimed to be part of your race. He seems to think there was some sort of 'corruption' which was endangering multiple universes, and by sending in me, a random human, this can somehow restore balance, but he was pretty vague about how I'm actually supposed to do that, and pretty much just shoved me though a trapdoor portal with minimal explanation. So... I guess those rumours about it being easier to 'cross over to other worlds' were true, though I don't think I can get back again." You decide to leave out the part about Vector's race seeming to be giant robots in his own universe, the odd letter telling you that you now have special powers and the fact that you are feeling very sleep deprived to not confuse Swerve. The story was confusing enough as it was, you think.

"So... You're basically on a quest to save the world, with nothing but your wits and the orders of an ancient Prime? Because I happen to love a good-" Before Swerve can finish his sentence, however, a hand with only two claw-like fingers slams itself on the counter right next to you. The claws belong to a darkly-cloaked, towering faeformer, whose single yellow eye gleams maliciously from under his hood. As spindly as he is, he still carries a crushingly imposing presence.

"Oi, you've been prattling away with that runt for ages now. Where's my fix?" He looms over Swerve even from where he's stood.

"Er... Well, the thing is, Whirl..." Swerve stalls nervously. "You'll have to excuse me. I have a job to quit!" He starts to sidestep around the bar, but the cycloptic faeformer is having none of it, drawing himself to his full height and staring the pair of you down in a very unnerving manner.

"Quit? Quit?! You can't quit, I need to order my engex!" He fumes, waving his clawed hand in Swerve's face. To Swerve's credit, he doesn't seem too fazed, but you can see a slight tremor in his hands betraying his understandable qualms about the situation.

"Just... Just order your engex from Maccadam instead. I don't want to just be a bartender here anymore, I want my own bar! Now I finally have a chance to achieve that with the help of this hu- person. This person who is definitely a fae." Swerve quickly catches himself. Whirl squints at you with his single ochre eye.

"Are they, now? And what kind of fae are you, exactly?" He asks sceptically. There is a tense moment as you rack your brains for a realistic answer, desperately trying to think of a way to divert this creature's attention away from your identity, before Whirl speaks again. "Not that I care, really. Geez Swerve, you have to turn everything into a fragging conversation. I just had a long day after the accident at the mines, and I want my engex. If you're gonna talk, I'm off." True to his words, he stalks off on spindly legs promptly.

You breathe a sigh of relief and turn to Swerve, "What was that about?"

"Oh, that's just Whirl being Whirl. He's a Dorotabō. Hate-filled, vengeance-fuelled, one-eyed fae with a few fingers missing and more than a few marbles lost. He's not really a talker, luckily for us." Swerve glances back and forth before leaning in towards you. "Between you and me, it's because of his scandalous past." He grins, obviously dying to tell the two of you just what exactly this scandalous past entails, when, infuriatingly, a stern voice interrupts the two of you yet again.

"Swerve! What are you doing out from behind the bar?" The speaker is a satyr, smartly dressed in a marmalade jacket, a collection of oak-framed monocles with remarkably vivid apatite-blue lenses strung across his chest like tiny windows. His spectacles are so thick and of the same apatite quality that you can't really see his eyes behind them, yet he somehow still retains an open, honest face. He has a pair of twisty silver horns nestled in his auburn hair.

"Oh! Maccadam! Well, see, the thing is... I actually had an important thing to tell you... Uhhh..." Swerve throws a pleading glance in your direction. It takes a moment for it to click that he wants you to speak for him.

"Um... Yeah, Swerve's... Quitting? He wants to be a bartender at his own bar, I hope you understand."

Surprise crosses Maccadam's features as he looks between you and Swerve, who nods to confirm what you say. He remains speechless for a while, then sighs resignedly. "I am sorry to hear you weren't happy working here, Swerve. Normally I would ask for at least a week's notice before allowing you to quit, but I suppose I can allow it, since you have such important work to do." He concedes at last.

"You mean 'cause I gotta build my own bar?" Swerve pipes up, "Well, yeah, it'll take some doing!"

"Well, there is that, but rather I meant... Good luck, Y/N, and thank you." With that, Maccadam slips behind the bar with his hooves clicking against the floor as he walks. He begins to mix drinks himself in order to serve the substantial queue of customers which materialised since Swerve stopped serving at the bar.

"I... Didn't tell him my name, right?" You are somewhat unnerved by thoughts of how the Satyr could have known who you were, or why he was thanking you for that matter.

"Er... No. Maccadam has a way of knowing things you wouldn't expect him to. Sometimes I wonder if he's really just a Satyr. Not that there's anything wrong with being a Satyr, some of my best friends are goat-people! Like Blurr! Well, actually, not Blurr. He's a deer-person, technically, since he's a fae with the legs of the Ceryneian Hind, but I mean... Hooves are hooves, right? The point is, Maccadam definitely has his secrets, but don't be too phased by it. Oh! You should know, it's probably not a good idea to let other fae know your name. It gives them power over you, it's not great."

"Noted, I'll try not to tell anyone I don't trust." It will still take some getting used to Swerve's tendency to talk like his life depends on it, and you really don't have a clue who this 'Blurr' guy is, but you're glad you can at least count on Swerve to let you know about extremely dangerous things you should not do in this world, like telling someone your name, apparently. "So, do you want to show me this place you had in mind for your new bar?" You ask.

"Oh right, sure! It's a bit of a walk, but we should be fine!" Swerve beckons you to follow him outside, and you learn that Maccadam's seems to be surrounded by tussocky moorland. There is indeed a forest in the distance nestled among rolling hills, but Swerve takes you in the opposite direction, up onto an open heath with flatter terrain. The air is damp with a thin layer of fog, and it makes you wish to be back in the warmth and light of Maccadam's, no matter how much Swerve might claim the place gives him chills. Before long, however, you arrive at a run-down stone building. It's in better condition than you expected - all the walls are intact, and none of the roof seems to be missing, however, when the you go inside, it's evident the place has seen better days, as the only carpet the floor has is a moss one, and the walls are peeling lichen, not paint. There is not an item of furniture in sight. At the far end of the room are the splintered remains of what might've been the bar, with traces on the walls that might indicate shelves. It's nothing like the polished and cleanly Maccadam's. You turn back and see Swerve remains stood just outside the doorway.

"Hey Swerve, aren't you going to join me in here? What happened to this place, anyway?"

"Yeah... I should've probably mentioned it earlier, but there seems to be some sort of curse here. Don't be alarmed though! It looks like a second-hand affliction, so whatever the cause was, it won't pass on to us. Probably. In fact, my plan is kinda to just lift the curse on this place and then it should turn back into the perfectly usable bar it used to be!" He explains brightly.

"A curse? What?! Swerve, if I end up crab-walking like Samara from The Ring because of this, I will not forgive you. Do you actually know how to lift the curse from this building?" You feel yourself starting to panic a little.

"...Kinda? Look, don't fret, it's fine. I've been observing this place for ages, and I've taken samples, there's nothing here that would affect us. When I say 'curse' I just mean, like... An exclusion spell, or something. It could even work in our favour! Whoever was here previously won't be reclaiming it any time soon. And there's more good news! There's a reason I was so excited to finally meet a human! Besides totally loving your culture of course. You see, there's actually a salt barrier that's stopping me from entering, so if you could kindly break that..." He crouches and points to a thin line of white grains trailed across the doorway you hadn't noticed before. "...I'd appreciate it. It'll burn me if I touch it."

"Not sure what you mean by 'human culture', but... Sure." Unwilling to unwrap your arms from about your torso where they're keeping you warm, you scuff the ground with your shoe, pushing the salt to either side until there's a gap big enough for Swerve to pass through. He takes a look around as he enters, hands on his hips.

"Thanks Y/N! Alright, let's see..." He takes out a chisel and a vial from the pocket of his apron and scrapes at some of the moss to expose the ground beneath, then lets a couple of clear sparkling drops fall from the vial. You can't really see what it's doing, but from the way his bottom lip sticks out and the skin scrunches up around his eyes, it seems to have given him pause for thought.

"You normally just keep stuff like that with you?" You ask.

"Hey, metallurgist, remember? I know I seem fixated on the whole 'bartender' thing to you, but I do have other vocations!"

"OK, OK. So, did you learn anything?"

"Yeah... So, don't be mad, but this may be a bit more complicated than I thought. See, I kinda figured all we'd need to do to lift the curse was clear out a few salt lines and maybe like... Burn some sage or something. But there seems to be some sort of vessel channelling the spell... And it's behind this ununtrium block. I sensed the stuff the moment I walked in; we dwarves have a nose for it. No-one uses ununtrium unless they've got something serious to hide. Stuff's pretty much unbreakable. We're going to have to go to the Mountain Guardian, Predaking, to bargain for an ununtrium drill. It'll be a few days journey on foot."

"Fae have drills? ...Wait, a few days? On foot? Swerve, I'm not up to that! What about the mines Whirl mentioned? Might they have some of this ununtrium stuff? It might be closer than the mountains."

"Of course we have drills! What, you assume we've developed no technology while human society advances in bounds, just because we mostly rely on magic? Prejudice, much?"

"Sorry, I wasn't-"

"Nah, it's OK. Anyway, well... The mines are closer. You can literally access them any time through transportation mushroom circles, but... I can't go there. You have to get special permission ever since the whole treaty between the Seelie and Unseelie courts came about."

"Seriously? They won't allow a dwarf in the mines?"

"I know! It's a load of rubbish, but that's the way it is. Megatron, who used to lead the Unseelie Decepticons, holds reign over the mines. Predaking's more likely to agree to help us, trust me."

"What if I went instead? I have no ties to the Seelie or Unseelie fae, Megatron surely wouldn't refuse me an audience. It'd be quicker if I could get an ununtrium drill from the mines, right? The sooner we get one, the sooner we can open up this block in the floor, and find out what's behind it, causing this... curse thing."

"I mean, it's your choice, but I still think it's better if we just go to the mountains together, even if it would be quicker for you to go to the mines. I don't trust Megatron... He's a Decepticon, after all, whatever insignia he wears."

Part 3.1 - "I trust your advice, then, since I know so little of this world... Let's go to the mountains!"  
Part 3.2 - "I'm sure it'd be easier if I went to the mines alone. Besides, meeting with one of the faction leaders might help me with Vector's quest."


End file.
